1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to apparatus for shearing and coiling strip material and is directed more particularly to such apparatus in which the shearing means, when in the shearing position, forms guide means for directing the cut strip onto a mandrel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Methods and apparatus for producing and coiling strip material are well known in the art. For example, metal strip has been produced by peeling a surface layer from a rotating cylindrical metal billet with a cutting tool while simultaneously pulling the formed metal strip over the tool. A leading edge of the metal strip is usually attached by a clamp to a rotating mandrel which supplies pulling force and winds the strip into a coil convenient for handling and shipping. Other means for attaching the strip to the mandrel have included a conventional belt wrapper adapted to selectively move toward and away from the mandrel and pinch the strip between the mandrel and the belt.
Sometimes the shape of the strip initially peeled without tension is not desirable and several adjustments to the peeling apparatus may be needed before the desired strip shape is achieved. The shape of the strip can affect the tightness of the wrap. Thus, initially peeled strip material, distorted due to the absence of tension on the strip during the initiation of the peeling process, is usually sheared and discarded before the wrapping or coiling procedure begins. In known peeling apparatus, the shearing takes place a considerable distance from the coiling mandrel and the strip is guided into position, in the case of a belt wrapper assembly, between the mandrel and the belt. Means for guiding the peeled strip over long distances to the coiling mandrel are complicated and unsatisfactory, particularly when the peeled strip has a tendency to curl, and becomes tangled before it reaches the coiling mandrel.
Accordingly, an apparatus is needed to shear and coil strip material substantially simultaneously, to overcome prior problems of curled strip material, tangled strip material, and loosely wrapped coils.